Having a child during college can make earning a degree difficult, but the barriers don’t have to be insurmountable. Here are some child-friendly programs helping parents earn bachelor’s degrees:
Comprehensive women and children programs: For single mothers who want to earn a bachelor’s degree, a few schools offer residential, social and academic programs for women and their children. Age requirements, campus privileges and child care options vary by school, but each offers a uniquely comprehensive residential support system.
“Our primary purpose is to empower women, to educate women — not to cut off a portion of the population simply because they have a child,” says Katie Kough, director of the Women With Children program at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa., where more than 20 women and their children occupy two-bedroom suites in residence halls on the campus.
Moms enrolled at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa., get a weekly break to study or just find time to take a shower because other students on campus volunteer to baby-sit.
The programs are small and, administrators say, increasingly popular. “We need probably 10 times the number (of spots) ? so that this very at-risk population of people is not left behind in the scramble to get post-secondary education,” says Julie Candela, director of Single Parents Reaching Out for Unassisted Tomorrows at Ohio’s Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio.
Day care and facilities: “Child care is probably the most critical piece that a student parent needs to be successful,” says Sherrill Mosee, author of “Professor, May I Bring My Baby to Class?” (FCS Books, $14.95). About 5 percent of colleges and universities, such as the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, offer on-site day care to students, she says.
For schools that do not have the resources to start a campus day care, Mosee recommends finding community organizations that are already providing child care. Her organization, Family Care Solutions Inc., finances off-site day care for the children of mothers attending school in Philadelphia.
Support systems, both at school and home, are integral to achievement. Through the Single Parent Support System at St. Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, Va., all mothers and children have a mentor they meet with monthly.
Online and blended degree programs: Online education is a common avenue for student parents. Some schools, such as the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, even offer blended degree programs. Through its University Without Walls program, students can opt to come to campus for some courses or can complete their studies fully online.
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Support for single parents
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The Higher Education Alliance of Residential Single Parent Programs is a coalition of colleges and universities that offers residential degree programs for single parents. Go to singleparentcollegeprograms.org.